Well I finally committed – and registered for the Tucson Half Marathon, which will be the second time I’ve run more than a short distance.
My first half-marathon was a year and a half ago, in beautiful Bryce Canyon, Utah. Training for that run, and then finishing (no worries about time – I wasn’t in it to win) taught me that I definitely could do it. Enjoying the run with my daughter was also amazing!
I am not a runner. Never have been. Well, except enjoying short sprints as a kid – especially if it involved beating the boys in footraces at the local elementary school playground. But, anything longer than 50 or even 100 yards – forget it! Okay, well I admit I have jogged (with a lot of walking involved) a 10K and a few 5K charity fund raisers, but not on a regular basis.
So, running that half-marathon – and realizing that “I can do it!” was exhilarating. Although it still did not make me into a runner.
Now, why would I do it again? Well, I got lazy. And stopped working out regularly. I realized that unless I have a goal to shoot for, I would not make fitness a priority. Registering for the Tucson Marathon gives me a goal to shoot for, plus this time I’m also raising money for a deserving charity, which just adds to the motivation. And it’s working! Sometimes the most motivating thing a leader can do is establish a goal to aim for, which taps into those personalities that are goal oriented. And, sometimes the leader had to provide meaning (like raising funds for Habitat for Humanity), which taps into those personalities that are purpose driven. When it’s possible to do both – magic!!